Amnesty international Ireland is supporting calls for the Irish government to decriminalise the possession of drugs for personal use.
In Ireland, the use of illegal drugs is not a crime, but possession of drugs for personal use is. The Ana Liffey Drug Project’s recently launched its ‘Safer from Harm’ campaign, calling for decriminalisation of possession of small amounts of drugs for personal use. They want people with drug dependence to have adequate access to the health system rather than be dealt with by the criminal justice system. This is an approach that Amnesty International endorses, so we are supporting their campaign.
Around the world it is clear that the criminalisation of drug use and possession for personal use is part of an ill-conceived strategy to deter the use of drugs. It has destroyed the lives of people who use drugs, their families and other affected communities. It has done little to address the problems associated with the use of drugs.